My family and I are hoping to find a part-time sitter we love as much as Gloribel and our other adored weekend date night sitters we lose to college!
Hands down, the number one question I receive from readers is for help finding a nanny, babysitter or child care provider in the Washington, DC area. And while I have a list of resources I pass along to readers, I always admit that as a part-time working and largely stay-at-home mom, I do not have much firsthand experience finding a regular sitter.
Now that Alice is six months old and less sleepy-in-the-carseat-during-work-meetings mobile, I have realized I need a once-a-week, part-time sitter. I could ask around. I could post on list servs and nanny forums. I could “hit on” sweet sitters at the park, Mrs. X style. I could pray that Glenda the Good Godmother would just come down from heaven in a bubble and offer to watch my kid.
But what have I been doing? I have been worrying about how tough it is to find a sitter and sitting on my bottom, doing nada to find a nanny. I have been avoiding in-person meetings, skipping sleep and working at night.
Thankfully, Plum District Washington DC has a great deal that has prompted me to get a move on my sitter needs: A membership to SeekingSitters plus 4 hours of babysitting for just $53 (a 50% savings!). They are also throwing in two AMC Gold Experience™ Movie Tickets for a ready-made date night!
I am getting this deal and I recommend you get it too! Do you need a babysitter a couple days a week? 40+ hours? For the occasional date night? For a wedding you have to attend next week but you don’t have clue who is going to watch your kids and it is stressing you out? SeekingSittersDC will hook you up!
Yesterday I received the Plum District deal, filled out the SeekingSitters application, spoke to SeekingSitters DC owner Lisa Opolion about my immediate needs for a part-time sitter and TODAY SeekingSitters is working on finding me the perfect match for my needs. I read through the available sitter profiles and marked a few who seemed a promising fit for the service to vet for me.
I can relax knowing that all of the women in their arsenal are thoroughly background-checked and that SeekingSitters DC Metro will handle all the payments and appropriate taxes. Lisa says that when they interview and screen their sitters, a major criteria is whether the owners would allow the sitters to care for their own children, and only if the answer is a hearty “Yes!” are the sitters hired.
It is so civilized! I feel silly for being so stymied by finding a sitter for the last few months. This Plum District and SeekingSitters DC deal has provided me with very affordable peace. This Plum District deal is only available for TWO more days, so if (like me), you have been in need of a sitter or nanny but worrying about how to go about finding someone, jump on this deal now!
I’ll keep you all posted on our childcare journey, but I am so excited and relieved that it has begun TODAY!
Disclosure: I received this $53 PlumDistrict deal including a SeekingSitters membership, four hours of babysitting and movie tickets courtesy of Plum District. However, I will of course be paying for our family’s future regular babysitter’s hourly wages and all related fees completely myself at the rate charged to all SeekingSitter clients. All current and future views expressed about my experience are my own.
Mark your calendars, call your friends and get your tickets NOW to attend the year’s best night out:
A night of “Art with zing, music with spark and tangy treats. “
Beginning at 6:30 p.m in the Music Center at Strathmore, this fall arts fundraiser celebrates the power of the small, but sassy—the adventurous, the new, the offbeat and cheeky. Guests will be immersed in art as it’s being made and will incite real-time music creations by Strathmore’s Artists in Residence and local artists.
Electronica musician Yoko K. will create the soundtrack of the evening, looping guest soundbites into a continually evolving, organic music score. A large scale, site-specific installation will take shape at the hands of Wilmer Wilson IV as guests mingle. Additionally the live music performances will be top-notch: a mashup of live music from blues rock outfit The Daryl Davis Band, Gypsy jazz queen Mary Alouette and R&B crooner Jay Hayden.
Here’s one of my favorite features of the night: Stephanie Potter Corwin will capture the energy of the evening with guest glamour shots in her photo booth, projected live onto large screens throughout the party and e-mailed to revelers as mementos.
The food and drinks menu is really incredible. Dinner, hors d’oeuvres and open bar drinks are completely included in the reasonable ticket price. In case you are as food and beverage obsessed as I am, here is the run-down of the menu and signature cocktails.
The passed special cocktail will be a St. Germain, made with champagne and St. Germain liqueur, “the first liqueur in the world created in the artisanal French manner from freshly handpicked elderflower blossoms.”
Dinner will include
- mini foie gras-stuffed hamburgers with charred tomato catsup
- seared salmon with mushroom risotto
- stuffed chicken breast with red pepper and goat cheese
- pumpkin ravioli in a sage cream sauce topped with shaved parmesan
- roasted tomato, baby artichoke and gorgonzola cheese tart with gourmet greens and light vinaigrette
- braised short ribs with Yukon gold mashed potatoes
I don’t know about you, but I personally will not eat that well probably the rest of the year…and that is counting Thanksgiving and Christmas. And I will still have to find room to save for the dessert of chocolate ganache tartlettes, lemon tarts, passion fruit cupcakes with caramel buttercream and mini whoopie pies.
There will also be a fun martini raffle: you throw in $25 for a signature tART Appletini plus a costume piece of jewelry you wear all night and keep, and then you are entered for a chance to win the real thing — an oxidized silver diamond and pearl macramé bracelet valued at $750 from contemporary jeweler Amethyst..
You can also score some great deals on indulgent delights during the live and silent auctions, with Rolex watches, spa treatments, getaways to New York, chic shopping and more.
DISCOUNT – Just $75 for dinner, drinks, entertainment and a sparkling night to remember
Tickets for tART are $100 for most people, but special A Parent in Silver Spring readers can score all of the evening’s amazing delights for a discounted $75!
And this is a night out you can feel GREAT about, as all the proceeds support Strathmore’s cultivation of young and future artists, from the 20,000 second and fifth graders who are introduced to orchestral music each year during the Strathmore Student Concerts to the rising stars of the Strathmore Artists in Residence program.
Here are the 3 Easy Steps to get your special ticket price of $75:
1. Go to Strathmore’s website and register here, making sure to punch in Source Code 2193
2. Then go to the tART event page on the calendar
3. Tickets will be available to you at the special discounted rate of just $75.
4. Add tickets to your cart and check out!
GIVEAWAYS
Giveaway #1:
I so believe this is the BEST Moms’ Night Out event of the year that I personally purchased two tickets and would love to give one away to YOU!
Leave a comment below if you would like my extra ticket for yourself.
Organize a GNO (girls’ night out, BTW) and if you win, share your winning ticket with a friend.
Giveaway #2:
If you attend tART, find me at the event and I will personally purchase you a $25 signature tART Appletini and entry in the martini raffle!
Yup, even if your entire moms’ group attends, I’ll hook you all up with your snazzy bracelet and drink combo, as well as a chance to win the $750 grand prize bracelet.
So send this post and link to your friends, tell your dudes to watch the kids or call your sitter, and join me for a fabulous (and very reasonable!) night out.
Disclosure: Strathmore is an advertising partner of A Parent in Silver Spring. However, I purchased the event tickets myself at full price and have offered my services as a member of the event host committee. Strathmore is a performing arts non-profit which I wholly support.
This Friday night September 30, please join me and an array of Washington, DC moms for the
Runway Moms for a Cause at the Embassy of Nigeria. This event is an accessibly-priced but extravagant gala night out in which proceeds will go to fighting poverty and illiteracy through education and social welfare programs in Nigeria.
The night’s philanthropy is the United for Kids Foundation (UKF) – a 501c3 organization committed to improving the lives of mothers and children in Nigeria. Runway Moms for the Cause is recognized by the Embassy of Nigeria as a prelude to the Nigerian Independence Day celebrations.
The event will feature hardworking moms from the DC area showcasing the incredible fashions of
L~Shandi Designs by Lara Akinsanya. Lara is a Nigerian-born American mother of two-year-old twins who was inspired to provide ready-to-wear garments that are made with fabrics from Africa appealing to women from all nationalities.
Lara was also inspired to organize this global goodwill event with the Embassy of Nigeria and local businesses in order to help improve the lives of mothers and children in Africa. Her vision of a night of glamourous goodwill is not to be be missed! Her designs use traditional African fabrics with Western cuts to provide a unique and timeless look.
Guests at the event will partake in a silent auction featuring original artwork, sent from Nigeria, by the benefitting orphans depicting their life goals and dreams. The event will be hosted by Maureen Umeh of
Fox 5 DC and Lara’s designs will be showcased on the runway by myself and other women in the community such as Kelly Collis of the Tommy Show on Fresh 94.7 and
City Shop Girl; Rebecca Cooper of WJLA Channel 7; Aba Kwawu, Founder, The Aba Agency; Maggy Francois, Fashion Educator, West Potomac Academy; Tanya Dallas-Lewis, Musician and Journalist; Christine Brooks-Cropper, President, Greater Washington Fashion Chamber of Commerce; Chichi Emeson, Executive Director, Miss Nigeria in America, Inc.; Natalie Jobity, President, Élan Image Management; Mia Redrick, Owner, Finding Definitions; Kristie Hale, CEO, Impulse Design Group, Inc.; Susi DuPuis, Personal Assistant to CEO & CFO of BP Alternative Energy North America; Monique Lighart, Realtor, Long and Foster; Neneh Diallo, Director of Communications, Millennium Challenge Corporation; Christhel Barron, PR & Events coordinator at LJ Bamboo; Doyin Daramola-Boatin, Doctor of Pharmacy, Dekalb Medical Hospital and the designer herself.
WHEN: Friday, September 30, 2011
6:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.
WHERE: Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 3519 International Court NW, Washington, DC
I hope to see you there!
Fire Station 1 Restaurant and Brewing Co. is one of family’s and my favorite restaurants. It strikes the perfect balance of cool brewery restaurant for adults, and fireman rescue hero dream for the kids.
Mom and Dad get low-priced, quality beer on tap like Hook & Ladder, some of the best crab cakes and french fries in the DC area (from the Examiner’s restaurant review, “Is there a such thing as a perfect french fry? This one is up there…”) and $8 lunch specials.
It’s a place where $40 will go a long way…made even sweeter by the fact that $40 here will cost you just $20 right now on Plum District!
The restaurant is also a built-in history lesson for the children. Right across the street from the B&O train station and the current, modern fire station facility, the restaurant is housed in the historic Silver Spring National Guard Armory. The Armory was converted to the first Silver Spring fire house in 1919 and the firehouse themed restaurant is even owned by a retired Montgomery County firefighter. Inside, the official fire station decor, as well as the coloring pages and Wikki Stix that the servers will bring your kids, will keep them happily entertained until their food arrives.
The Jr. Firefighters menu is also well-priced and, if you can believe it, healthy. All items are freshly made, as far as I can tell (we’ve had almost all the items on the kids menu over the course of our visits). The default side order to your little one’s handmade mac-n-cheese or 4 oz. (non-frozen) angus burger is steamed broccoli “trees”, although you can instead request those perfect french fries for your little Master or Miss Potato Head.
My kids cheer when we take them here for dinner or a weekend lunch. And I will confess: we eat out a lot and they have become restaurant snobs. They find this place super entertaining and clean their plates, and Chris and I love that the kids are entertained by history rather than video games or other kid restaurant cheesiness.
For fun date nights: If you’re a poker person, there’s free Texas Hold’em every Monday, and trivia nights are on Wednesdays. Happy Hour is Monday-Friday from 3-7pm, with $3 Drafts, $5 Martinis, 1/2 Price J Lohr Wines and 50-cent wings.
Disclosure: Plum District is an advertising partner of A Parent in Silver Spring and they have gifted me this deal for my family. However, I agreed to this sponsored post because we have patronized this restaurant several times on our own dime and thus all opinions expressed are my own.
Want to go see the Blue Man Group THIS Wednesday night March 23rd at 7:30pm at the Warner Theatre in downtown DC? Because I have TWO sets of 2 tickets for two lucky couples/friends.
You’ll be there on opening night!
UPDATE: Megan H. and Judi R. are the randomly-drawn winners!
The show is suitable for ages 10 and up. I think it will be an awesome (and if you’re lucky – FREE) girls’ night out, special big kid and parent outing or a date night.
Here’s the official synopsis:
Blue Man Group is best known for their wildly popular theatrical shows and concerts which combine music, comedy and multimedia theatrics to produce a totally unique form of entertainment. Although it is impossible to describe, people of all ages agree that Blue Man Group’s show is an intensely exciting and wildly outrageous experience that leaves the entire audience in a blissful, euphoric state.
With no spoken language, Blue Man Group is perfect for people of all ages, languages, and cultures. Blue Man Group is coming to DC and playing at The Warner Theatre March 23-April 3. This unique theatrical experience is a form of entertainment like nothing else, guaranteed to be an outing you will never forget!
Tickets are available by phone at 800-551-7328 or online at ticketmaster.com
MARCH 23 – APRIL 3, 2011
Dates and Times
Wed, March 23 at 7:30pm
Thurs, March 24 at 8:00pm
Fri, March 25 at 8:00pm
Sat, March 26 at 1:00pm, 5:00pm, & 9:00pm
Sun, March 27 at 1:00pm & 5:00pm
Wed, March 30 at 7:30pm
Thurs, March 31 at 8:00pm
Fri, April 1 at 8:00pm
Sat, April 2 at 1:00pm, 5:00pm, & 9:00pm
Sun, April 3 at 1:00pm & 5:00pm
Ticket Prices
Gold Circle: $92.00
Orchestra: $82.00
Mid-Balcony and Upper Balcony : $72.00
Last 4 Rows: $32.00
TO WIN THIS GIVEAWAY:
TWO lucky readers will each win two tickets that must be used for the Wednesday March 23rd show. Bring ID, because your name will be awaiting at the Will Call window. The tickets are non-transferable.
You can get your name tossed in the virtual hat by
- Leaving a comment on this post – either leave your email address or login via Facebook so I can contact you if you win. If you don’t want to leave your straight-up email addy and for fear of being spammed by the bots (sounds like a science fiction movie, I know), do some fancy typing like Hottie [dot] McPhee [at] gmail and I’ll totally get it.
- Share this link on Facebook or Twitter for additional entries. Leave a comment here if you FBed or Tweeted, and friend me and follow me so I can see your lovely sharing and follow your feeds too.
I will randomly draw the two winners on MONDAY night at 9pm. Winners will be contacted directly and then posted here as well.
Good luck!
My family and I are hoping to find a part-time sitter we love as much as Gloribel and our other adored weekend date night sitters we lose to college!
